You and I
by stavie93
Summary: What finally made Sawyer and Juliet realize their feelings for each other? Set during the Dharma days we didn't get to see on the show.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is my first attempt at Lost. I watched the show for the first time in high school and recently rewatched it before my trip to Hawaii. I spent a whole day seeing filming locations and learning even more about the show! It was a great experience and I hope every Lost fan gets a chance to go some day! Anyway, I've been reading Suliet fanfiction since I first watched the show and I finally decided to give a shot. I have read nearly every Suliet fic there is on this site, some of them multiple times, and I hope mine will be just as good as some of my favorites!

 **Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I do not own Lost. If I did we would have gotten to see much more of Sawyer and Juliet!

Please read and review! I've had a long break from writing and I'd love to know how I'm doing!

Title comes from Pvris' song You and I.

 _"We can meet in the middle_ _Bodies and souls collide_ _Dance in the moonlight_ _When all the stars align_ _For you and I..."_ _-Pvris_

 **You and I**

 **Chapter One**

It had been seven months since she landed in Dharmaville, since they all landed in Dharmavile in the 70's, and things were not going the way she had planned. They had played nice with the hippies and were given a chance to search for Locke and the others, or the rest of their 'crew' as Sawyer referred to them when speaking to Dharma Initiative members. Of course they found nothing and when the sub was ready to leave a few days later Juliet was ready to get off this godforsaken island and back to civilization where one didn't have to worry about smoke monsters, time flashes, or bug eyed little men who had no qualms about keeping a woman prisoner for three years. But things had changed. Juliet had been on the dock not twenty four hours before the sub was set to leave planning her first moves off island when James had asked her to stay. " _Two weeks. That's all I'm askin'."_ And she had agreed.

Soon after they were all welcomed into the Dharma Initiative and invited to stay long term. She hadn't been too keen on the idea at first, but the guys all jumped at the opportunity. Dan so he could continue his studies in Ann Arbor, Sawyer so her could continue to keep an eye out for their 'crew', Jin because he wasn't going anywhere until he found Sun, and Miles….well Juliet suspected Miles' immediate response of "Sign me up, boss!" had more to do with the busty brunette working in the cafeteria than anything else. Despite her concerns she relented. She supposed Sawyer was right – there was nothing out there for her in the 1970's so every week day for the past six months she had donned the navy blue jumpsuit of the Dharma Motorpool and spent the next six to eight hours elbow deep in grease working on the DI's small fleet of jeeps and vans.

It wasn't all bad though. In fact she'd started to enjoy her time in Dharma. She'd become fast friends with Amy. The two women were good for each other. Juliet had helped Amy through her loss of Paul and Amy had become a sort of surrogate sister for Juliet. She still missed Rachel terribly and longed to meet her nephew, but she was happy to have Amy as a friend – one of the few friends she'd made since coming to the island over three years ago. In fact, the only real friends she'd had in the last few years she'd found in Dharma in the 70's. If anyone had told her that months ago she'd have said they were crazy.

There was Amy, of course, and Miles. He was a wiseass and made too many crude jokes, but he was a good person and she knew she could count on him if she needed to. Then, there was Jin. Juliet had been helping him with his English and he was coming along nicely. He was the quietest of their group and spent many nights gazing up at the stars thinking of Sun. Dan had left for Ann Arbor soon after being accepted by the DI. Juliet never got to know him very well, but she knew he would do all he could to get them back to their own time. She hoped he was doing well away from the island. It had to be easier to heal without mini-Charlotte running around.

Lastly there was James. Or Sawyer. Or LaFleur. Whatever. To Juliet he was just James and lately an involuntary smile crept onto the face whenever she thought of him, which was more often than she'd like to admit. They had spent the last six months living together as roommates. Despite what most of the DI thought there was no funny business, just two friends sharing a small yellow house.

A little over six months ago Horace had approached them with their permanent housing arrangements – two neighboring two bedrooms. The rest was up to them. Juliet had hoped to be paired with Jin, not because she like him more or Miles and James any less, but because from the beginning she knew Jin was kind and considerate – two qualities required to be the perfect roommate. She didn't say anything though. The last thing she wanted to do was piss someone off when they were supposed to be working together so when Miles suggested they all draw straws she had agreed. And she had ended up with James.

At first she didn't know what to expect, but the very first night they both realized they had a lot more in common than either one thought possible.

 _"_ _Honey, I'm home!" Sawyer called as he made his way into their new Dharma house carrying a box full of the few possessions he had. He heard no response form Juliet. Shit. He thought. I hope I didn't piss her off already. We've only been living together for five minutes! Then he saw her. She was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of a bookshelf in the living room. The shelves were decently stocked and she already had a small pile of books stacked to right of her to read first._

 _Sawyer set his box down on the kitchen table quietly. Juliet was engrossed in whatever book she had in her hands and Sawyer guessed she had yet to realize he was still in the room. He walked up behind her slowly and when he got close enough he bent down bringing his mouth within inches of her left ear._

 _"_ _Whatchya got there, Blondie?" He asked loudly and howled with laughter when she jumped, her book flying right out of her hands._

 _"_ _Not funny." She whined as she got up and collected the book she'd through into the air moments earlier._

 _"_ _Sorry. I couldn't resist." Sawyer said still trying to control his laughter._

 _"_ _Well don't do it again." She replied while playfully smacking him in the chest with the paperback in her hands._

 _Sawyer's laughter subsided and he finally noticed the title of the book in her hand as she turned to pick up the books from her stack that she'd knocked over when he surprised her. "I get this one first." He said as he plucked the book from her grasp._

 _Juliet turned and eyed him curiously._

 _"_ _It's my favorite." He explained with a smile as he held up a copy of Of Mice and Men._

She hadn't expected James to be a reader. Sure, she saw him reading some during her time at the beach camp, but she assumed he read there because there was nothing else to do. She never expected him to read for fun where there were other options. She couldn't have been more wrong. The man was like a sponge soaking up every book he could get his hands on. She was no different and it was the first major thing they discovered they had in common. They would talk at length about what books they liked and disliked and every night they weren't with Miles and Jin they sat on the couch reading in a companionable silence. Miles had teased them on more than one occasion after barging into their house one night to inform Sawyer of the latest developments with a girl he was trying to go out with only to find Sawyer sitting on one end of the couch, his reading glasses perched on his nose and Juliet at the other end, legs tucked underneath her, facing Sawyer. Both were engrossed in their own book.

"Seriously?" Miles had asked with incredulity. "This is what you guys do with your nights off?"

They had both looked up at him. James was visibly frustrated. "What's so damn important Miles? It was just getting good!" And he shook his book a little for emphasis. Juliet stifled a laugh. He was reading that particular book out of protest. He insisted he would hate it. She'd bet him one week's worth of dishes otherwise and was pleased to see she'd already won.

Miles was speechless. He shook his head and exited th house. Ever since them he had occasionally referred to both James and Juliet has nerds, geeks, dweebs, and every other similar adjective he could come up with.

James always responded with "At least we know how to read, Enos." And that would be the end of it, for a while at least.

Juliet and Sawyer discovered they had more in common than just books. They shared favorite music and movies from the future…or past depending on how you looked at things and they could talk about TV shows for hours. Dick York was obviously the better Darrin on Bewtiched, but who was funnier on Three's Company – Mr. Furley or the Roper's?

Aside from their interests they got along well in other areas, too. Sawyer hated to do laundry and Juliet despised sweeping the floors so they compromised. They took turns with other chores. Of course neither one was perfect so they argued sometimes, usually about James tracking mud in on his work boots or his bad habit of leaving the seat up. Other times it was because Juliet took too long in the bathroom.

They also lived with some unspoken rules. Whoever didn't cook did the dishes. Whoever got up first in the mornings got the bathroom first and whoever lost in the morning got it first that night if they wished. They also worked hard to respect each other's personal space. Accidental touches and any other infringement on the other's space resulted in a flurry of "sorry"s from both parties. These exchanges generally resulted in a quiet smile and knowing smirk exchanged between Jin and Miles, always unseen by Sawyer and Juliet that seemed to say "someday they'll figure it out."

Juliet wasn't sure when it happened, but sometime over the course of the last six months James began to enter Juliet's thoughts more frequently and she found herself genuinely looking forward to spending time with him. She first noticed it one day at the Motorpool. She was underneath one of the blue Dharma jeeps when she heard the latest piece of island gossip. She surprised herself when she realized her first thought wasn't 'I wonder what Amy would have to say about this', but 'I can't wait to see James' face when I tell him" instead. Somehow Juliet and James had stopped being roommates and started being best friends.

What scared Juliet more than anything was that now things were starting to change again, at least they were for her and she didn't know what to do. Ever since they landed in Dharma James had been breaking down all the walls she had meticulously build over the last few years. After Jack she had promised herself she was done with men and relationships, at least while she was stuck on this rock. Love never worked out for her. Edmund had used her for her research and she had let him walk all over her for years. Goodwin had been sent on a suicide mission just because she loved him. Ben kept her prisoner for years. Then there was Jack. She was wary of him at first, but he could be a smooth talker when he wanted to and she had thought he genuinely cared for her. She believed him when he said he'd get her home. In the end she realized what she really was to him – a distraction from Kate. She was a pawn in their never ending game of cat and mouse and although she didn't show it, it hurt. She had trusted him and he let her down just like so many others before so as she watched the freighter go up in smoke she made a decision. She was done. Love clearly wasn't in the cards for her and she was tired of getting hurt.

But then James has swam to shore and her life had turned upside down. Now she caught herself staring as he did the dishes, marveling at the way the muscles of his upper back and shoulders moved underneath his white t-shirt. She began to wonder what those same muscles would feel like under her fingertips and she shook her head trying to clear the images from her mind. She should not be thinking those things. For one, he was her best friend. For two, she had made a promise to herself and for three, there was no way he could ever feel that way about her. What man would like a woman who tasered him the first time they met and gave him weekly lectures about not drinking milk out of the carton? Besides she liked the relationship they had. They could count on each other, they enjoyed each other's company and she didn't want to do anything to mess up what they had.

Sawyer didn't know when it started, but somewhere over the last few months he started thinking of Juliet differently. First they were strangers. Then enemies. Sometime between flaming arrows and moving in together they became kind of friends. After living together and learning more about each other they became best friends. He was okay with that progression. It made sense. She was the only person that ever knew everything about him, all of his secrets, and accepted him anyway. The problem was that now he dreamt of blue eyes and blonde hair and the sight of her in her favorite shorts began to make him feel and think things he definitely should not be thinking or feeling about his best friend and roommate.

He remembered one night a few weeks ago when he'd gotten home late from work. She had fallen asleep on the couch waiting up for him and he was struck by how beautiful she looked. Her hair was fanned out around her head like a golden halo and the book she'd been reading laid open on her chest. The though exterior she showed while awake had faded as she slept and he thought she'd never looked more peaceful. In that moment he thought she looked like an angel and he smiled to himself knowing if he ever told her that she would probably taser him again. She had recently told him about her ex-husband and he couldn't understand why any man would do that to her, why they would chase secretaries and research assistants while she waited at home. Just the thought of it made Sawyer's stomach turn. She was beautiful and smart and kind, perfect in his eyes and he believed any man would be lucky to have her. If Edmund hadn't already been hit by a bus James might have run him over himself. He knew most of the baggage and pain that she carried originated with Edmund and he wanted nothing more than to make it go away

Sawyer's thoughts were interrupted by Juliet. She was beginning to wake up and he quickly backed up towards the door in an attempt to make it look like he'd just gotten home and hadn't been staring at her for the past several minutes while she slept.

Juliet stretched and yawned, knocking her book to the floor before she opened her eyes. "Did you just get in?" She asked sleepily.

"Yeah." Sawyer lied. "Had problems with the fence. Damn boars were settin' it off again."

"Oh." She yawned again. "There's a plate on the counter if you're hungry. I'm going to bed. Night James." She smiled before heading towards her bedroom.

"Night." He replied as he watched her retreat down the hall.

Sawyer looked over to the counter and sure enough there was a plate of food neatly wrapped in foil waiting for him. As he ate he made a decision. He wouldn't, no couldn't, do anything to jeopardize his friendship with Juliet. She was all he had. Sure, there was Miles and Jin, but Juliet's companionship and support was what he couldn't survive in Dharma without. Besides, he knew she was way out of his league. She was hot shot doctor and although she was currently masquerading as a mechanic, he knew she deserved more than a professional conman turned hippie commune security guard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I ended up changing my plan for this story midway through this chapter. Hopefully my new ideas work out even better than the originals. It's shorter than the last chapter, but I thought it was a good stopping point. I hope to have chapter 3 up in the next few days! This story may not be any longer than three or four chapters. We'll see what happens.

 **Disclaimer:** I still do not own Lost. =(

A big thank you to **zeusfluff** for reviewing the last chapter! Without your review this one may have taken much longer to complete. Knowing that someone is interested keeps me going!

Again, please read and review to let me know what you think!

 **You and I**

 **Chapter 2**

It was a Wednesday morning in Dharma. Both Sawyer and Juliet were scheduled to work until late afternoon. The sub had come in over the weekend with a new batch of recruits and Horace had announced to the security team that once the newbies were settled in and trained a new head of security would be named.

Paul, the last head of security had been shot by the hostiles the day Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, Jin, and Daniel arrived in Dharma. Since then Horace had been pulling double duty doing his own work and taking the position of security head until a replacement for Paul could be found. Sawyer didn't tell anyone, but he hoped he got the promotion. Dharma security was the first honest job he'd ever had and he was proud of his work. He wanted to prove to himself that he could be a good man and do good things. He thought a promotion would be the perfect way to do that.

Sawyer entered the kitchen find Juliet standing at the counter pouring a cup of coffee. She was dressed for work in a blue jumpsuit and boots. Her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She turned at the sound of his footsteps in the doorway and smiled.

"Coffee?" She asked raising the pot in her hand.

Sawyer gave a mumbled "Yeah. Thanks." Before plopping into one of the kitchen chairs. Juliet sat a cup of coffee and some toast in front of him while he laced up his boots before sitting down across from him.

"So what's on the agenda today?"

Sawyer took a sip of coffee and a bite of toast. He didn't recall ever telling Juliet exactly how he liked his coffee, or his toast for that matter, but she always managed to make everything just the way he liked it. "Horace's got me training the new recruits. Today we're going over the monitors and learning how to write reports. Should be fun." He said with an eye roll and a voice that implied he expected his day to be anything but fun.

Juliet let out a short laugh. She stood and placed her empty mug in the sink. "I've got new recruit duty, too. We can swap horror stories tonight." She smiled at him. "What would you like for dinner?"

He downed the rest of his coffee. "Surprise me." He grinned.

The smile never left her face as she shook her head. "I hate it when you say that." She looked over at the clock in the living room. "I'm going to be late!" She hurriedly stuck his plate and mug in the sink alongside hers. "I'll see you tonight!" She smiled again and was out the door.

Sawyer smiled too on his way to the security office. He wasn't looking forward to babysitting baby Dharma members all day, but he was looking forward to spending the evening with Juliet. Some nights she went over to Amy's. Others the two of them hung out with Miles and Jin, but tonight it was just Juliet and James. He knew no matter what happened throughout the day she would listen to what he had to say about it. He wondered what she would make for dinner. He knew it annoyed her when he didn't give a real answer when she asked what he wanted. Sometimes he did it just because he thought she was cute when she was frustrated. _Juliet. Cute._ Another instance where he knew she would kill him if she knew what he was thinking. He took the thoughts from his head. He wasn't going to go there. He couldn't go there. It just wasn't going to happen. He walked into the office thinking about which book he would that night.

Juliet spent the morning with the motorpool's lone new recruit. Kent was nice, although maybe a little too nice for her liking. He was in his mid-twenties with dark hair that almost reminded her of Jack. His hair, however, was the only similarity between the two men. Juliet wasn't sure if it was because he was in a new place with new people, he wasn't used to working with a woman, or if he had always been perpetually flustered. He wanted to do well and he worked hard. The problem was every time he didn't know an answer or messed something up he became even more flustered than he was generally. He stumbled over his words and his face turned an interesting shade of red. Even worse than that was the fact that the man didn't know a wrench from a hammer and Juliet had no idea how he'd managed to end up in the motorpool. She tried to help him out as much as she could. She figured she'd gotten stuck with training him partially because she was still one of the newest members of the department, but mostly because the guys would rather walk into hostile territory than deal with two weeks of Kent's ignorance of all things mechanical.

They broke for lunch and Juliet was happy for the break. She didn't dislike Kent. She just wasn't all that fond of working with him. His constant questions left her mentally exhausted. At times she felt as though she was explaining engines and braking systems to a child. "Wait. So you really are supposed to change the oil that often? It's not just something the mechanic says to keep you coming back?" He'd deadpanned that morning. Juliet had sighed and explained to him what would happen if you didn't change the oil in your vehicle regularly.

Juliet had hoped to see Sawyer, Miles, and Jin over lunch. They usually all ate together in the cafeteria if they could and she knew they would enjoy Kent's oil change confusion, but she didn't see any of them.

When she got back to the motorpool she grabbed the keys to the number four jeep. "We're taking this one out for a test drive. We've had some complaints about it making a funny noise." She'd told Kent who simply nodded in response before getting in the passenger seat.

* * *

Sawyer looked at the clock again. Just a few more hours until he could go home. He was in the security office with Miles and their four new recruits. Miles had monitor duty and was currently explaining the screens, buttons, and knobs to their new team members. Sawyer was only half listening while leaning against the wall next to the short hall that led to the cells when Horace walked in. Sawyer straightened immediately at the sight of his boss.

Horace had a smile as usual. "How's it going today, Jim?"

"Great, H! We'll have them trained in no time." Sawyer gestured towards the recruits.

"Good to hear!" Horace's smile grew which Sawyer did not think was possible.

It was then that the door to the security station flung open and Mark, the head of the motorpool, came running in. He froze when he saw Sawyer and stopped to catch his breath.

Sawyer's brow furrowed in a mixture of confusion and concern. "What's going on?" He asked and all eyes were on Mark.

"It's Juliet." He panted as his chest heaved under his blue jumpsuit. Clearly the man was not used to running across the Dharma compound.

"What about her?" Sawyer's voice was hard and angry. His face held no emotion, but his insides were doing somersaults. He was scared.

"There's been an accident." Mark said.

"What kind of an accident?" Sawyer's heart was pounding in his chest as he tried to keep his voice steady.

Mark stammered and his words came out in one long breath. "She was test driving the number four jeep with Kent. He came running back a few minutes ago. Said they hit a tree." He paused momentarily to catch his breath. "He couldn't find her."

Sawyer was terrified. His best friend, his rock, was out there somewhere and she was hurt. His anger boiled over at the thought of losing her. "What do you mean he couldn't find her? He just left her out there?! Who the hell is this guy?!" Sawyer yelled his questions at Mark who all but cowered under his gaze and voice.

All eyes turned to Sawyer. Miles wasn't sure if he was more concerned for Juliet or the man who loved her even though he doubted Sawyer himself realized the depth of his feelings for the doctor. The recruits watched the exchange in stunned silence. They were all wondering what they'd gotten themselves into by coming to the island.

Horace put a hand on Sawyer's arm in an attempt to calm him. "Kent's a new recruit in motorpool." He said. He, too, was worried, but his voice didn't show it. He was calm and collected. Their fearless leader, as usual.

Mark regained his composure after wilting under Sawyer's outburst. "She must have been thrown from the jeep during the crash. Kent knew he'd need help so he came back as fast as he could." He explained.

Sawyer grabbed his rifle just in case. "We gotta go." Worry was evident in his voice this time. He turned to Miles. "They're all yours." He said, nodding to the recruits. He was headed for the door before the younger man could respond. "Where'd it happen?" He called to Mark over his shoulder.

"We usually do test drives over by grid twenty three." He responded.

Sawyer was out the door and running towards the motorpool. Horace and Mark struggled to keep up. They all hoped to find Juliet soon. And in one piece.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but here it is.

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is still not mine.

Another big thank you to **zeusfluff** and one to **Alise** for reviewing chapter two! I really appreciate it! =)

As always please read and review. Let me know what you think so I know how I'm doing. Also reviews keep me going!

 **You and I**

 **Chapter 3**

Sawyer made it to the motorpool faster than he ever thought possible. Horace and Mark were still a ways back, unable to keep up with the conman. Dave and Sam, two other motorpool members, watched as Sawyer ran into the garage. Their eyes grew wide as the saw the look on his face. Sam ducked out of Sawyer's way while Dave tossed keys to a van in his direction. He caught them easily and then noticed a younger man sitting on a bench near Juliet's work station. He had dark hair and was holding a rag to a cut on under his right eye. He looked shaken up and worried.

"You Ken?" Sawyer asked gruffly.

"It…its Kent." The younger man responded, eyeing Sawyer's rifle.

"Get in." Sawyer jumped into the driver's seat of one of the blue and white vans, setting his gun between the two front seats. Horace and Mike finally arrived at the motorpool and they climbed in the van with Kent.

Sawyer peeled out and headed away from the Dharma compound towards grid twenty-three. "Alright Ken." He said once they cleared the yellow houses. "What happened? And where?" His voice was rough and mean, but Sawyer couldn't have cared less. He didn't give a damn how Kent felt. Juliet was out there somewhere alone. Probably hurt. And the further they go from Dharmaville the closer they were to hostile territory.

"We were test driving the jeep. She was explaining something to me and the next thing I knew there was some kind of animal in the road. Something like a pig. She swerved to miss it and lost control I guess. We went down a hill and hit a tree. When I looked up she was gone. I couldn't see her anywhere. I ran back to get help." Kent's voice was full of nervousness. He didn't know what Sawyer's connection to Juliet was, but he had a feeling that if she were seriously hurt Sawyer would see to it that he was, too. He paused a moment to take in his surroundings as he sped down the road. "I think we're getting close." He said.

"Damn boars." Sawyer huffed.

"We'll find her, Jim." Horace tried to reassure everyone.

"Wait! Go back!" Mike called from the back seat not two minutes later.

"Did you see something?" There was a small sliver of hope in Sawyer's voice as he threw the van into reverse. They backed down the rocky road until Mike pointed out the window of the vehicle.

"There!" He said.

The four men got out and sure enough there were tire tracks leading off the road. The road was on a kind of hill. It wasn't very steep, but there was a small valley to the side of it. The men walked to the edge of the road and looked down. They could see the path the jeep had taken winding down the incline and mowing over all the plant life that got in its way. In the distance they could see something blue, the jeep, with its front end smashed into a large tree.

Sawyer was the first to move. He ran down the hill as fast as he could without toppling over. Mike, Horace, and Kent followed suit.

When they reached the jeep there was no sign of Juliet. The hood of the vehicle was folded backwards almost like a giant accordion. The windshield was one big spider web of cracks and the front bumper wrapped around the trunk of the tree like it was giving it a hug.

"Horace." Mike said surveying the damage. "I think we're going to need a new jeep."

Sawyer glared at him, annoyed that he was thinking about a big hunk of metal when they still hadn't found Juliet.

"Juliet!" Sawyer called. He heard nothing and when he looked around he only saw trees, bushes, and grass. He'd been running on autopilot since Mike burst into the security station thirty minutes earlier. He was trying not to let the situation get to him, but his heart was pounding and his brain was on overdrive. He was rooted to the same spot near the jeep, but he turned in circles calling out her name, searching frantically for blonde hair and a dark blue jumpsuit. He had no idea exactly how long it had been since the crash, how long she'd been out there. He didn't even know if she _were_ out there or if she were hurt. For all they knew she could have walked back to Dharma already. Sawyer had a feeling that wasn't the case though.

Suddenly Mike's voice permeated Sawyer's thoughts. "Over here! She's over here!" He was yelling. Sawyer found him behind a large bush not too far from the jeep. Juliet was there sprawled on the ground. Her hair was a mess of leaves, twigs, and blood from a gash on her forehead. "She's breathing, but I can't wake her up." Mike's voice was as frantic as Sawyer felt.

Horace, Kent, and Sawyer all reached Mike and Juliet at the same time. The blonde pushed the other men out of his way and knelt next to her. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face before cupping her cheek in his palm. "Jules." He spoke softly trying to keep his emotions in check. "Juliet." He said her name again and then her eyes fluttered. She groaned and leaned into his hand. Sawyer released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Hey." He said while caressing her face. She was alive.

Juliet's eyes opened. Sawyer had never been happier to see his smile reflected in their ocean blue. "What happened?" She asked groggily.

"There was an accident. You hit a tree."

"Son of a bitch." Juliet groaned again and lifted a hand to the gash on her forehead. She cringed at the pain and the blood it left on her hand when she brought it back down to her side.

Sawyer couldn't help but smile again. He knew exactly where she'd picked up that phrase and it was then that he knew she was going to be ok, but his brow furrowed when she tried to sit up. Her left arm had been laying at her side. As soon as she tried to move it in order to prop herself up she winced and let out a noise Sawyer could only describe as a kind of squeak. "You ok?" He asked. Concern laced his voice.

Horace and Mike were standing just behind Sawyer. Kent was a few feet behind them. Horace turned to the youngest man. "Radio Miles at security. Tell him we found her and have him let the infirmary know we'll be there soon." Kent ran towards the van at the top of the hill.

Juliet managed to sit up with Sawyer's help. "I think it's broken." She cradled her arm.

"Let's get you to the infirmary, Juliet. We've got a van at the top of the hill." Mike offered. He and Horace were both relieved to have found her. The two men shared a knowing glance after seeing the way Sawyer treated her.

"Anythin' else hurt?" Sawyer knew she needed to get to the infirmary, but he wasn't in any hurry. He was just happy to see her, to talk to her.

Juliet closed her eyes momentarily against the pain she felt all over, but she said nothing at first. "My ankle." She finally said.

Sawyer's brow furrowed and he looked down towards her feet. Everything seemed to be in order. "Broken?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Probably just a strain."

Sawyer picked a couple leaves he'd missed earlier out of her hair. "You ready to get outta here?" She nodded and he noticed blue eyes filling dangerously with tears. Despite what many people thought, what Sawyer used to think, he knew she could cry. He'd seen it. Twice. Once during the time flashes when her hand was nearly cut off and once just a couple months ago on Rachel's birthday. He knew he was probably one of only a handful of people who had ever seen her so emotional.

Juliet was prepared for Sawyer to help her up so she could try to walk towards the van. She was not prepared for him to scoop her up into his arms, one under her knees and the other behind her back. After getting over the initial shock she swung her good arm around his neck and buried her face in his chest in an attempt to keep her tears at bay. _Juliet Burke does not cry._ She kept trying to tell herself, but her mind was foggy. Her head was killing her, the pain beating in time with her heart. And the truth was Juliet Burke _does_ cry. But not often. And not if she could help it. She never felt more weak and vulnerable than when tears streamed down her face. She could count the number of people that had seen her in that state on one hand. James was one of them and he'd seen it twice. She did not feel like making it three times, but in addition to her head, her arm felt as though it were on fire. Her ankle didn't hurt that bad compared to the others, but all combined she was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold the tears back long.

Sawyer held her tight and made his way up the hill slowly. When they reached the road Kent was putting the radio back in the front seat. He quickly opened the back door for Sawyer who set Juliet down gently on the bench seat before climbing in after her. Horace got in the driver's seat, Mike next to him, and Kent awkwardly slid in next to Sawyer in the back.

They started back towards the Dharma compound, Sawyer's arm wrapped around Juliet's shoulders. She hugged her injured arm and it wasn't long until she had her eyes shut tight and her head pressed against his shoulder. "You ok?" He asked into her hair.

"Head hurts." Was all she said. The motion of the van increased the throbbing tenfold and she hoped they'd make it back to Dharma soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I'm much happier with this chapter than I was with the last! I hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost isn't mine. =( Also, all of my medical information came from google so if I'm way off with anything blame them.

THANK YOU to **zeusfluff** and **Alise**. Your encouragement keeps me going.

And Alise this chapter is much longer than the last, nearly as long as the first. I didn't want to make it too long which is why I cut it off where I did. Enjoy! =)

 **You and I**

 **Chapter 4**

Sawyer was sitting outside the infirmary. It had been ten minutes since they had gotten there, ten minutes since he had carried Juliet out of the van and placed her on a bed with crisp white sheets. The doctor was all over them as soon as they walked through the door. He ordered Sawyer to wait outside. He had tried to protest, but Horace yanked him through the door and pulled him in the direction of the chairs nearby. Horace had talked for at least five minutes, but Sawyer wasn't listening. His mind was on the other side of the white doors wondering what was going on inside. Eventually Horace said something about going to tell Amy what happened and then he was gone.

Sawyer had been sitting in the same place ever since. Now that his brain was no longer preoccupied with finding Juliet he began to wonder about the extent of her injuries. She was hurt, he knew that, but he didn't think it was anything serious. However, as ten minutes of waiting turned into twenty he began to wonder if he'd been wrong. His mind jumped immediately to the worst possible scenarios, but at the time they seemed like genuine concerns. _What if she died? What if the blow to her head caused something freaky to happen like losing her memories? What if the injury to her arm was so bad they had to cut it off?_ What if when this was all over she decided she'd had enough and was getting on the next sub outta here? Sawyer couldn't bear the thought of her leaving or dying. As long as she was around he'd be ok and he'd love her no matter how many arms she had or whether she remembered him or not. _Wait. Love? Did I just say love?_

Sawyer's thoughts were interrupted by Horace and Amy. He stood and Amy greeted him with a comforting hug.

"How's she doing?" She asked.

"Haven't heard a damn thing." Sawyer ran a hand through his hair. It had now been thirty minutes. "What's takin' so damn long?" He looked at Horace already forgetting about his emotional discovery moments earlier as his mind turned once again to what was going on in the infirmary

Horace placed a hand on Sawyer's shoulder. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon." His voice was calm as usual. "I hope you don't mind. Amy and I stopped at your place on the way over. She brought Juliet some clean clothes." Amy held up a bag Sawyer hadn't realized she'd been holding.

It was then that Sawyer realized he didn't know what the hell he was doing. The anger he felt earlier at the entire situation subsided. He was thankful to have found friends like Horace and Amy, but most of all he was scared. He'd never done this before – waited to hear about a sick friend, wanted to help them, to take care of them. He didn't know what he was supposed to do in this situation. No one had ever really done it for him. "I should've thought of that." He said with a sad look towards the infirmary doors wondering if Juliet deserved someone better looking out for her.

Horace watched as the conflicting emotions crossed the other man's face. He patted him on the back. "You're doing good, Jim. You don't have to do everything. That's what friends are for." He gave him a smile and Amy excused herself to check on Juliet and drop off the bag. Horace motioned to the chairs. "Let's sit."

Sawyer gave another worried look towards the doors to the infirmary before sitting. Horace could see the concern in his expression. He'd seen more emotion in the man today than he had in the last six months combined. He took the seat next to Sawyer. "You're doing great." He said again trying to reassure him. "We found her and she's gonna be ok."

Sawyer looked at his shoes. "I sure hope so, H." He wasn't used to being this vulnerable, this emotional. _What is this woman doing to me?_ He thought. He stole another glance at the infirmary doors, willing them to open.

Horace was amazed by the new side of Sawyer he was seeing. He knew he and Juliet were friends and always suspected they could be more, but now he was sure of it. Jim LaFleur loved Juliet Burke whether either of them realized it or not. And he had a feeling Juliet felt the same towards Sawyer. "I want you to take the rest of the week off." He said after a brief silence. "Get Juliet settled and on the road to recovery."

Sawyer's mind was racing. He wanted nothing more than to be there for her, but his insecurities came back full force. He could hardly take care of himself. Wouldn't she want someone a little more qualified? His face was hard, emotionless, sure; completely unlike the concerned and worried man he'd been moments before. He didn't want Horace to see how useless he really felt, but his voice was unsteady. "I appreciate that H, but maybe Juliet would prefer to have someone else take care of her. Like Amy. She'd know what to do." He began to ramble and Horace let him. "Plus the recruits aren't trained."

"Jim." Horace finally cut him off. "You've been working hard the last few months and you deserve some time off. This day has been rough for you too, not just Juliet." Sawyer opened his mouth to speak, but Horace continued anyway. "Juliet doesn't need Amy. She has you and you're going to do just fine. Just follow what the doctor says and be there for her." Horace smiled. He felt as though he were speaking to a child left to care for a pet or younger sibling for the first time. "And Amy and I will be around if you need anything. Plus, Miles and Jin are right next door." Sawyer simply nodded in response. It all sounded so easy when put like that, though he still wasn't sure that was the case.

The doors to the infirmary swung open suddenly. Sawyer jumped out of his chair and turned to see Amy. "All done." She said with a smile. "The doctor says you can go in now."

"We'll stop by later, Jim. Take care." Horace left with Amy.

Sawyer watched as they walked away. He'd seen the two of them grow closer over the last few months and heard all about it from Juliet. They were a couple now and in a way he envied what they had. He wanted it, too. With Juliet. And that scared him more than anything else ever had. Sure, he'd had relationships before, but they were always part of a con, never anything he entered into solely because he wanted to and wasn't expecting a nice fat check at the end of it. The thought that he would even consider doing such a thing scared him. He wouldn't even know how to act in a real relationship. Besides, he'd already made up his mind that he would not jeopardize the friendship he and Juliet already had. He looked again at the infirmary. Earlier he wanted nothing more than to go inside and see her. Now turning around and running for the hills seemed much more appealing. She brought out so many new feelings in him and he wasn't sure he liked it. He didn't know what to do with them. Things had just been so much easier before all this, before Dharma and before the plane crash. His life was much simpler as Sawyer the conman on a mission. But that man no longer existed. This place was changing him. She was changing him and in the end the prospect of seeing her face light up in a smile, hearing her laugh, and finding blue eyes staring into his own won out against running. He made his way into the infirmary.

Juliet sat on the edge of the bed talking with the doctor. She wore the jeans and t-shirt Amy had brought. Her arm was in a cast and there was a bandage covering the cut on her forehead. Sawyer could see the beginnings of a bruise peeking out from the edge of the white gauze.

Both Juliet and the doctor looked up at the sound of Sawyer's footsteps.

"Jim I was just explaining everything to Juliet." Dr. Danny Schultz smiled. He was older. His hair was graying and the lines in his face were becoming more distinct with time. He had come to the island on the very first Dharma sub and had been there ever since. Sawyer reached the bed and stood awkwardly next to him and Juliet. "Sorry everything took so long, but we're short staffed at the moment as you know. Anyway, x-rays show that her arm is broken." He gestured towards Juliet and his face became serious. "She'll have the cast for a few weeks at least. The ankle isn't broken, just a severe strain. She'll need to stay off it for a while as much as possible. I've stitched up the cut on her head and it should heal soon, but there will be bruising." He turned to Juliet from Sawyer. "You'll need to change the bandage at least twice a day." She nodded. Schultz looked again to Sawyer, his face and voice becoming even more serious than before. "I'm afraid she did suffer a concussion. She should be fine, but I want you to keep a close eye on her, especially tonight. She needs rest, but I would advise waking her up every couple of hours to make sure nothing's changed. If there are any changes like dizziness, slurred speech, or nausea I want you to bring her back here immediately. Can you do that?" Sawyer nodded. He'd follow the doctor's orders like Horace had said. All in all it didn't seem too bad. He just hoped everything would go well and Juliet would be a good patient. She could be incredibly stubborn at times. It was another trait they had in common.

"I've given her some medication for the pain. She should be good to go!" He smiled at both Sawyer and Juliet. "I'll want to see you back in a week or two. Take care!" He said to Juliet before heading to the back of the infirmary and out of their sight.

Juliet had been sitting silently on the bed listening to the doctor. She hated being this situation. The cast felt heavy on her arm and she was ready to get it off already. She felt stupid for getting in this mess. She wasn't even sure what happened. She was driving down the road trying to explain engines to Kent and the next thing she knew she was on the ground with Sawyer hovering over her. She looked up at him as he spoke to Schultz. Concern was evident on his face as the doctor explained her injuries. She was thankful it'd been him that had found her. No, she didn't like anyone seeing her weak and vulnerable, but if someone had to she was glad it was James. No matter what she'd ever told him he never judged her. When she'd told him about Edmund he hadn't asked how she could have been so stupid or what was wrong with her. He'd simply reminded her again that her ex-husband was an asshole and offered to punch him in the face if he ever got the chance. When she'd told him he'd been hit by a bus and was dead Sawyer's response was "serves him right." And that was the end of the conversation.

Today Juliet had seen a new side of Sawyer. She wasn't expecting the compassion and gentleness he showed her in the jungle and the van. She didn't remember a whole lot about the van ride, her head had been killing her, but he wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she pressed her face against his chest. He ran comforting circles around her back. Amy had told her James had been waiting outside the whole time. She was touched to know he cared that much and now seeing the look on his face that once again showed he cared gave her an almost warm and fuzzy feeling. She was tempted to blame it on the medicine the doctor had given her, but she knew that wasn't the case.

Sawyer grabbed her hand and ran his along the cast. "Do I get to be the first one to sign it?" He asked with a smirk.

Juliet gave a small smile and a laugh. "If you want to."

"How ya feelin'?" He brushed stray strands of hair away from her face to get a better look at her.

"I'm ok." It wasn't entirely a lie. Her head ached, but it was nothing like it had been. Her arm wasn't bothering her at the moment, neither was her ankle, but she was sure that would change as soon as she got up and put weight on it.

"Let's get you home." He noticed a wheelchair left at the end of her bed. The doctor had said she needed to stay off her ankle so he assumed the chair was there for her to use to get home. He moved to take a hold of the handles on the back.

"Oh no!" She said as soon as she realized what he was doing. "I am not using that!"

Sawyer just looked at her. _This might not be so easy after all._ He thought. "The doc said to stay off that ankle."

"I'll stay off it once I get home." Her voice was stern, her mind made up. He could see there was no reasoning with her.

"Alright." He conceded.

She stood and tested her ankle, putting a small amount of weight on it at a time. It wouldn't hold much. He watched as she grimaced in pain.

"Come 'ere." He wrapped an arm around her and she leaned into him. They headed out of the infirmary slowly.

Jin and Miles found them when they were halfway home. The two had just finished their shifts and stopped them in the middle of the courtyard near the gazebo.

"Juliet, you ok?" Jin asked. His English was nearly perfect, but he spoke with a slow preciseness that gave away the fact that it wasn't is first language.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Miles pointed out. "I just saw Horace. He said the jeep is a goner."

"Is it that bad?" Juliet looked at Sawyer.

"Wrapped it around a tree." He said. He turned to Miles and Jin. "Broken arm, concussion, and strained ankle." He nodded towards Juliet.

"Yeah, I don't think that's fine." Miles gave a pointed look to Juliet before turning his attention to Sawyer. "Horace said you're takin' off till Monday. Guess who gets recruit duty?"

"I think you can handle it, Enos." Sawyer ignored the look Juliet gave him.

Miles smiled. "Maybe I'll train 'em so good I'll get that promotion." He had feeling Sawyer wanted the head of security job.

"Good luck with that." Sawyer tried to seem nonchalant.

"Think you guys could argue about this later?" Juliet asked.

"Yes. You need rest Juliet." Jin agreed.

Sawyer and Miles looked at the blonde. Juliet was leaning heavily on Sawyer. She looked tired.

"Have fun with the recruits tomorrow!" Sawyer called over his shoulder as he led Juliet home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** I'm far from done with this story. I have a plan, but I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be. I wouldn't think it would go over ten, but when I started I didn't think I'd get to five and here we are. We'll just have to see how it goes.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Lost. (But I sure wish I did.)

As always, please read and review.

 **You and I**

 **Chapter 5**

Once home Sawyer helped Juliet onto the couch. "Hungry?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Just a little tired."

"Well why don't ya take a nap? I'll wake ya up when it's time for your pain meds again."

She eyed him carefully. "Why are you taking off work?"

Sawyer took a seat next to her on the couch. "Horace says I been working hard and deserve a break." He shrugged. She looked at him expectantly. She knew there was more and he wondered how she could read him so clearly. He looked at her more seriously this time. "And I…well I wanted to be here for ya."

Her expression softened. "You know you don't have to do that. I'll be ok."

He looked into her eyes trying to figure out if she said that because she didn't want him there or because she didn't want him to feel obligated to take care of her. In the end he decided he didn't care which it was, he was going to be there no matter what. "I know I don't have to." He said. "I want to."

Silence. Juliet's heart nearly skipped a beat at his words. _We're friends. This is what friends do for each other._ She reminded herself. _This does not mean he likes you like that. That's crazy._

Sawyer was the first to speak. He couldn't handle the sudden tension and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. "I got your back remember?" He smiled and nudged her with an elbow.

Juliet smiled. "Yeah. I got yours, too." She noticed the blood on his jumpsuit. _Her blood._ A large portion of the left shoulder was stained red form where she'd rested her head against him. She ran a hand over the Dharma patch above his name. Parts of it were red now, too. "Sorry about your clothes." She said. "I'll wash them tomorrow."

"Nope." He said rising from the couch. "You ain't doin' shit tomorrow." She raised an eyebrow and he continued. "You're gonna sit right there." He pointed to the couch. "And relax. You can read and nap and I could probably snag a couple puzzles from the rec center if yer interested. And if yer good maybe I'll even give ya a sponge bath." He smirked.

She shook her head and grinned. _Same old James_. She thought. "I don't think that will be necessary." She laughed although the idea didn't sound all that bad.

Sawyer went down the hall to change. He was happy with himself. Happy he'd gotten her to smile. A real smile. It was comforting after the way he'd seen her earlier in the day. He changed into a t-shirt and jeans and when he got back to the living room he found her asleep on the couch.

He watched her for a few moments. She'd gotten the blood washed off her face in the infirmary. All that was left was a few red flakes dotted amongst her blonde hair. The steady rise and fall of her chest gave him comfort. She was going to be ok. He had been terrified earlier at the thought of losing her.

He was still riding the aftermath of the adrenaline high he'd started as soon as he found out about the accident and he didn't know what to do with himself. His half-finished book lay on the coffee table, but he didn't think he could concentrate or sit still long enough to read. He needed to do something so he busied himself with the dishes they'd left in the sink that morning.

An hour later there was a knock at the door. The sound roused Juliet from sleep. She opened her eyes and sat up, immediately regretting the movement. Clearly, it was time for more painkillers. Sawyer watched as she raised a hand to her forehead and blinked the sleep from her eyes as he made his way to the door. He found Horace and Amy on the other side.

Amy held up a dish "We thought you might not feel like cooking after the long day so we brought you dinner." She and Horace were both wearing large smiles.

Sawyer flashed a smile of his own before ushering them into the house. "Thank you." He said taking the dish from Amy and placing it on the counter.

Horace noticed Juliet on the couch. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I've got the headache from hell." She replied before turning to Sawyer. "Where are my pills?" She was obviously in pain. Her usual stony expression had been replaced by one that showed she likely felt as though someone had tried to take a jackhammer to her brain.

"I got 'em right here." Sawyer quickly poured two white pills out of a bottle and filled a glass with water before taking it over to her. She gulped it all down much faster than he anticipated and promptly handed the empty glass back to him. "Thanks." She said. She managed a small smile for Horace and Amy. "Thank you for dinner. We really appreciate it."

"It's no problem." Amy gushed. "You let us know if there's anything else we can do."

"I will. Thank you."

"We just wanted to see how you were getting along. Maybe we'll stop by again tomorrow. We'll let you get some rest, Juliet." Horace said before he and Amy left.

"Hungry?" Sawyer asked for the second time that day.

This time Juliet nodded in response and started to get up off the couch.

"Stay there." He said hurriedly before she got to her feet. She dropped back onto the couch. "I'll bring it to you."

Juliet sat silently until Sawyer brought her a plate. "I feel useless." She offered suddenly.

Sawyer was taken aback. He wondered if the meds were playing with her emotions or at the very least were causing her to voice things she would generally keep to herself. He sat his plate next to hers on the coffee table and sat next to her. "It's only been a few hours, Jules." He said seriously. "You gotta let yourself heal. If you go runnin' around on that ankle right now it'll never get better."

She sighed in defeat and picked up her plate, placing it in her lap so she could use her good hand to eat with. "I know. You're right." She took an awkward bite, holding the plate steady with her cast. "I'm ready to get this thing off already." She wiggled her arm with the cast just enough so as to not knock her plate over.

Sawyer laughed. "I can't wait to see what you have to say two weeks from now."

She stared at her cast and spoke again, quietly this time and with an edge of seriousness. "And I just don't like having to have someone take care of me."

"Hey." Sawyer said gently and waited for her to look at him. "That's what friends are for." He smiled and nudged her shoulder with his own. "Besides how many times have you had to take care of me when I let Miles talk me into one too many beers?" She smiled back at him.

As they ate they talked about their work day pre-accident. He told her about the security recruits and she told him about Kent's inability to understand anything mechanical. "Ya know" Sawyer started. "I heard he ended up in the motorpool because all the janitor spots were taken." He smiled and tried to hold in a laugh.

"And of course I get to train him." Juliet shook her head.

Towards the end of their meal Sawyer finally let Juliet in on his secret hope to become the new head of security. He knew the closer they got to announcing the new replacement he'd get more and more nervous. He decided it might be nice to talk about it with.

Juliet took her last bite and smiled. "I know." She said simply.

Sawyer put his fork down. "What do you mean you know?!" He asked incredulously.

She chuckled and put her empty plate and fork back on the table before turning towards him. "I know you, James." She said. "I know you're proud of your work here. And you should be. You do a good job. I know the promotion would mean a lot to you and I think you deserve it."

He stared at her silently for a moment. "How do you do that?" He finally asked.

"Do what?" Now he'd confused her.

"You always know what I'm thinking. Sometimes before I do."

She shrugged and smiled. "It's a gift."

"Well I don't think I like it." He laughed and collected their dishes.

Juliet grabbed her book as he started cleaning up. When he finished he found her sitting silently staring at the wall. Her book lay on the table. "Finish yer book?" He asked.

"No." She was frustrated. "Reading makes my head hurt more. I really miss TV."

Sawyer thought for a second. Then he got an idea. "I know." He said. "I'll read to ya."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'm not a child, James."

"I know, but I'm not gonna sit there and read to myself while you're starin' at the wall." He said. "I could even do the different voices if ya want." He smiled.

"Again, I'm not a child." She pointed out. His idea made sense, but also sounded like an incredibly awkward way for two adults to spend their time. Looking at his face though she realized she couldn't turn him down. He had a big smile complete with his trademark dimples and she couldn't resist. "Oh, alright." She gave in. "No voices though." She clarified.

"Your loss." He said.

"What are we reading?"

"I got a surprise for ya." He nearly ran down the hall towards his bedroom. Juliet was incredibly confused and wondered what he could possibly be up to. He returned with a black book held up to his chest so she couldn't see the cover. He took a seat next to her and she leaned over to see what it was. "No peeking." He said. She sat back and tried to glance at the book out of the corner of her eye, but he was ready for that. She couldn't see a thing. He opened to the first page and cleared his throat a few times for good measure.

Juliet elbowed him. "Get on with it." She said, both confused and intrigued.

" _Rain of stones reported."_ He didn't even get two sentences in before she tore the book from his hands.

Juliet looked down at the book. She had heard right. She held a brand new copy of Stephen King's _Carrie_. Her jaw dropped and she looked to Sawyer who was smiling wider than she thought possible. "Where did you get this?" She finally asked.

"It came in on the last sub. I was waitin' for a good time to surprise ya."

She ran her fingers over the cover. "Thank you." Was all she could manage to get out. No one had ever done such a thing for her. Not only did he remember her favorite book, but he went out of his way to get it for her and surprise her with it. She gave it back to him and settled into the couch. They sat shoulder to shoulder as Sawyer began to read again. Juliet decided this wasn't such a bad way to spend an evening after all.

Not twenty five pages in Sawyer felt Juliet's head tilt to the side and rest on his shoulder. Soon after her breathing evened out. She'd fallen asleep. He read a while longer, but soon sleep overtook him as well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** This isn't my favorite chapter, but it was necessary to move things along. Sorry it's short, but that's just the way it happened. I've already started on the next one.

Thank you to **kz4valentina** , **Alise** , and **Love-oncers** for reviewing! I really appreciate it. Reviews make my day.

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is still not mine.

Please read and review.

 **You and I**

 **Chapter 6**

The next couple of days went well for both Sawyer and Juliet. By Saturday her ankle was back to normal and her headaches weren't so bad.

Thursday, the day after the accident, had been something special, but of course neither one said a word about it. Both had convinced themselves it was nothing and didn't mean a thing to the other. But they were both so wrong.

They'd woken up on the couch that morning in the same position they'd fallen asleep in. It was only slightly awkward as they got up quickly – Sawyer to make breakfast while Juliet had her turn in the bathroom. That morning somewhere between Juliet's first dose of painkillers and her second slice of toast and somewhere between Sawyer's first cup of coffee and his second helping of scrambled eggs they both came to realizations they decided they could never tell the other.

Sawyer had woken up exactly two minutes before Juliet. He spent each of those one hundred and sixty seconds listening to her breathe and studying her features up close. He'd never noticed before how the morning sun made her golden hair sparkle. _I wouldn't mind waking up like this every day._ He thought. Sleep was the only time Juliet's walls were completely down. Her peaceful expression mesmerized him. But soon his two minutes were up and he acted as though he had just woken up, too. He got up without a word and set her pills on the table with a glass of water as she headed to the bathroom. He made breakfast and decided he could never tell her how she felt. What they already had was too good to lose.

When Juliet woke up she was confused. It took her a moment to realize where she was and remember what happened the day before. Her head still rested on Sawyer's shoulder and when she opened her eyes she could see Carrie still laying on his lap. The night before came flooding back to her. She still couldn't believe how gentle he had been after the accident and how sweet he was with the book. She had enjoyed their evening together and she wondered if it would ever happen again. She hoped he'd finish the book with her.

She got up quickly when she realized he was awake and headed for the bathroom. The cast was heavy on her arm. She'd almost forgotten about it, but it seemed to weigh the whole side of her body down. _It just had to be this one._ She thought, staring at the hand that she generally used to brush her teeth, but was now unusable due to the cast.

She finally managed to get her teeth brushed and then studied her reflection in the mirror. She peeled the bandage off her forehead and finally got a good look at the injury it covered. The doctor had stitched up the cut and today it looked red and angry. The skin surrounding it was a deep shade of purple and she was sure Sawyer would start calling her Frankenstein before it was all over. She sighed and re-bandaged it as best she could with one hand. Her head still hurt, but not as bad as the day before and she could walk on her ankle without too much pain.

All in all Juliet felt pretty good. She felt rested, something she hadn't felt in a very long time. She slept at night, but not very well. She always woke up at some point, usually from a nightmare. They started the night Ben first told her he wasn't going to let her go home. At first they were always about Rachel and Julian, about never seeing them again. Over time they evolved, sometimes it would be Goodwin, Ben, or even the smoke monster. Lately there'd been more about being stuck in the 70's forever.

In the beginning she nearly always woke up to the sound of herself screaming. She had scared the crap out of Goodwin a couple times. He would try to comfort her, but soon he would fall asleep again and she'd be left lying the dark unable to sleep wondering why nothing ever seemed to help.

As time passed she stopped screaming, stopped waking up shaking and sweaty, and stopped trying to find ways to make it better. It simply became a part of her life. Every night she knew she would go to bed and wake up a few hours later. The only thing she didn't know was which horror story her mind would play out each night. She would lay there for a while, sometimes an hour, sometimes more, and eventually sleep would come again.

But not last night, not the night she slept with her head on Sawyer's shoulder. She'd forgotten what it felt like to sleep through the night and she'd never felt more safe and secure than she did for those few hours she spent right next to him. _If only it could be like that every night._ She thought, exiting the bathroom and joining Sawyer in the kitchen for breakfast determined to shove those thoughts from her mind.

They spent the rest of the day together talking and laughing. That afternoon and evening Sawyer read the rest of Carrie aloud. Despite the pain she felt and the annoyance of her cast, Juliet thought she'd never had a more perfect day.

Friday was very similar. Sawyer and Juliet spent the day together. Juliet discovered she could read without her head hurting more so they spent most of the day in companionable silence as they read their respective books. That night, like every other Friday night, Miles and Jin came over after work. Usually Juliet made dinner for all of them, but this time Sawyer had to help. They ate and the guys drank their Dharma beer. Jin didn't drink much. He found it more fun to sit back and watch Sawyer and Miles. Juliet generally participated, though not to the extent of the two men, but this time she declined.

Once the food was gone and the table cleared they all sat down for another tradition shared between the four time travelers – weekly board games. It was what they did every Friday after dinner. It started as a way to get Miles to shut up about missing TV and computers, but they found that they all enjoyed it. This week it was Clue. Miles and Sawyer argued about who got to be Colonel Mustard, something they did each time they played the game. Juliet took Mrs. Peacock and Jin Mr. Green as they waited for the other two to hash out this week's Mustard debate. In the end, Jin figured out it was Mrs. White in the kitchen with the rope.

Now it was Saturday. Sawyer was nursing his own headache likely brought on by too many beers the night before. Juliet was feeling much better. She even managed to get things done without her cast bothering her too much. That morning she started some laundry and cleaned up the kitchen from the night before.

Shortly before noon there was a knock on the door. Juliet got up to answer it as Sawyer grumbled from his spot on the couch. "If that's Miles, tell him I'm never drinking again."

She laughed. "You and I both know that won't last long." She opened the door to find Kent on the other side.

"Hi Juliet." He smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." She noticed the cut under his eye. "You ok?"

"Oh yeah. Just a scratch." He paused for a moment. "I was headed over to the cafeteria for lunch and I was wondering if you'd like to join me."

He looked nervous, like he thought she might slam the door in his face and tell him to get lost. Juliet knew he hadn't made any friends on the island yet. He'd only been there a week and he had spent most of his time in the motorpool with her. She gave him a warm smile. "Sure. I haven't been out of the house since Wednesday." She turned to Sawyer who hadn't left the couch, but was looking at her expectantly. "I'm going out for lunch. There's some leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry."

"That Amy?" He asked.

"No, it's Kent. I won't be gone too long. Maybe I'll bring you dessert." She smiled and was out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** First of all, I'd like to point out that I generally have a bad habit of wanting to post things as soon as they're done which means a lot of times they don't get proofread like they should. Because of that there was a pretty bad typo in the last chapter and I'm sorry about that! I've noticed a couple more in other chapters. Thank you to **kz4valentina** for telling me how to fix it! I've never gone back and tried to replace chapters before, but I just did with chapter 6 and I hope it worked! If all goes well I may go back and fix the other chapters later. I had my grandma read this one for me (lol) so it should be good!

There will be one more chapter after this one. I've already started it so it should be done in a couple days or so. This is another shorter chapter, but I wanted to break the ending into two separate chapters instead of one really long one.

Thanks again to **kz4valentina** and **Love-oncers** for reviewing!

 **Disclaimer: ** Lost does not belong to me.

Please read and review!

 **You and I**

 **Chapter 7**

 _Fucking Kent._ Sawyer decided that if for some reason the hostiles suddenly came traipsing out of the jungle and into the Dharma compound demanding a DI sacrifice in order to keep the peace Kent would be the one he'd hand over in a heartbeat. The recruit had jumped to the top of Sawyer's shit list in a matter of hours, two hours to be exact, and Sawyer hadn't even thought it possible for someone to knock Radinsky and Phil out of their respective number one and two spots. It had been two hours since Kent had whisked Juliet off to 'lunch' and Sawyer was pissed.

 _"I won't be gone long."_ Juliet's words echoed in his head as he took a Dharma beer out of the fridge. He wasn't entirely sure which part of the situation made him so angry. Maybe it was the fact that Juliet apparently had no concept of what being gone 'long' meant, but deep down a part of him knew why he was upset. The thought that Juliet was enjoying Kent's company enough for lunch to last over two hours made him furious. He knew she wasn't hanging around the cafeteria for the food. There was a reason they made most of their meals at home.

 _You're jealous._ The part of Sawyer that knew exactly what his problem was tried to clue him in. _I am not jealous._ He thought. _She just deserves someone better than a guy who less than a week ago was tricked into thinking you had to put blinker fluid in a car in order for the turn signals to work._ He plopped himself on the couch and opened his beer. _Yeah, she deserves someone better._ The little voice told him. _Someone like us._ Sawyer drowned it out by downing nearly half of the can in one long gulp.

A few minutes later Sawyer decided to go down to the cafeteria and see what was going on. _If they've got good food for once I should at least get to taste it._ He finished his beer and set the empty can on the coffee table. Juliet hated it when he did things like that, leaving trash around the house or leaving empty containers in the fridge or cabinets, but today he didn't care.

Sawyer opened the door and wasn't prepared for what he found on the other side. There was Juliet. With Kent. With their arms wrapped around each other in a hug. They sprang apart as soon as they heard the door open. Kent looked flustered and Sawyer set his face in a stony expression that could give Juliet a run for her money.

"Thanks again, Juliet. I'll see you later." Kent gave an awkward wave to the two of them and left.

Juliet smiled seemingly oblivious to Sawyer's rage. She picked up a plate full of cookies that had been sitting on one of the chairs on the porch. She took one for herself before offering the plate to Sawyer. "They had your favorite, chocolate chip, so I took as many as I could."

Sawyer took the plate from her outstretched hand. "Thanks." He managed.

"Going somewhere?" She nodded to the open door they were still each standing on one side of.

"No." He lied. "Thought I heard somethin' out here."

* * *

It was Juliet's turn to be pissed. Sawyer was driving her crazy. Saturday had slowly turned into Sunday and he still hadn't spoken more than a few words to her since she'd gotten back from lunch the day before. He had spent the rest of Saturday with his nose planted firmly in a book. Each time she tried to speak to him he merely grunted in response and turned another page. So far Sunday was no different.

She couldn't figure out what had gotten into him. Their weekend had started out so nice. It had felt good to get out of the house for a couple hours and she thought Sawyer would welcome some time to himself since they'd been together constantly for nearly three days. Juliet had also felt bad for Kent. New recruits usually hung around with other new members in their work department for the first couple of weeks, but he was the only one in the motorpool.

In the cafeteria she'd led Kent to a table already occupied by other DI members. She introduced him to Amy, their friend Kathy, and a couple guys who worked as janitors. They all talked about the accident before moving on to other subjects. Kathy informed them that she was thinking of starting a book club and Juliet made a mental note to tell Sawyer. Kent and one of the other men, Andy, discovered they grew up only a few miles from each other. The conversations between everyone were light and friendly and although Juliet hated having to watch what she said so closely around everyone that wasn't from the future she enjoyed herself. Time flew by quickly and before they knew it they'd been sitting there for nearly two hours.

The group said their goodbyes and dispersed. Juliet stole some cookies for Sawyer and Kent offered to walk her back home. On the way back he thanked her for introducing him to everyone. He admitted he'd always had a somewhat difficult time making new friends. Andy had invited him out with some of the guys that night and he was thrilled. Juliet was happy for him and glad she could help. He asked her when she would be going back to work and she realized she hadn't even thought about it.

When they reached the house Kent asked Juliet if she would still help him out in the motorpool when she got back.

"Of course." Juliet smiled.

"I know I'm not very good at it yet, but I'll learn." He said. "And I'm sorry about what happened the other day. I'm glad you're alright." He added.

Juliet nearly forgot sometimes that he had been in the accident, too. "It wasn't your fault at all." She assured him. "It was a learning opportunity. Now we know not to go up that hill so fast in case there's a boar waiting at the top." They laughed and shared a friendly hug.

When she entered the house with Sawyer he'd been grumpy and it hadn't gotten any better in the last twenty four hours. By dinner time she'd had enough and left for Amy's without a word to her roommate.

Sawyer watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. He'd been pretending to read ever since she got back from lunch yesterday, using the book as a barrier between himself and his roommate. He turned the page every time she spoke to him like he was too engrossed in his reading to care about what she had to say. In reality he'd only managed to get through a couple chapters. He was too busy thinking and watching Juliet when she wasn't looking to give a damn about his book.

He watched her walk out the door without a word. He was sure she was going out with Kent. The possibility that she could be seeing anyone else never crossed his mind. _Lunch yesterday and dinner today. What's next?_ He thought. _Breakfast tomorrow?_ Sawyer tried to shake the thought from his head. The idea of Juliet staying with Kent long enough tonight to warrant them sharing breakfast tomorrow made his stomach churn. He knew he hadn't been all that nice to her since she got back from lunch, but he didn't know what else to do. He wasn't about to tell her how he felt. Hell, he wasn't even sure what it was he was feeling.

Sawyer decided he would find something to eat and head to bed early. He had to go back to work the next day and if Juliet got home late he didn't want to know.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** This is it, guys! I hope you enjoy this last chapter. I've enjoyed writing it and I've got plans for another Suliet story so be on the lookout for it. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed.

A special thank you to **kz4valentina** for reviewing the last chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Lost. =(

Please read and review!

 **You and I**

 **Chapter 8**

Juliet woke up the next day to an empty house. Sawyer was already gone. When she'd gotten back from Amy's the night before he had already been in bed. She considered checking in on him. He never went to bed before 10 and it had only been 9 o'clock when she got back, but she decided to leave him alone. Clearly, something was bothering him and she had a feeling that something was her.

He had never acted like this before. He was completely shutting her out and she couldn't understand why. They were supposed to be friends and yes, sometimes she wished they could be more, but she was happy with what they had. She wished she knew what had set him off. She hoped he would be in a better mood when he got home from work.

Juliet spent the day catching up on housework. She got the laundry done, dusted, and even changed the sheets on both beds although it took much longer than usual only using one hand. She was starting to get used to the cast, but still wanted it off as soon as possible.

She stopped by the infirmary after lunch where Dr. Schultz gave her a clean bill of health aside from the arm. She would need the cast for a few more weeks as it healed.

About an hour before Sawyer was due to be home from work Juliet started dinner. She decided on spaghetti, one of his favorites. She hoped some good food would put him in a good mood. She missed the old Sawyer, the old James, and even though this new version had only been around a couple days she was tired of him already. She missed their talks, their laughs, and his smile. They had always been honest with each other and now it seemed like he was hiding something, something that made him angry. As she set the table she hoped he'd come home and be back to normal. She didn't like fighting with him, especially when they weren't exactly fighting, more like just not speaking, and she didn't even know what the problem was.

When Sawyer walked through the front door all of Juliet's hopes for a good evening went out the window. He came in without a word and kicked off his boots by the door. Somehow she managed to hold her tongue. He knew she hated that and she could feel his eyes on her as she stared at the dirt now scattered along her clean floor. He headed straight for the table and sat down after opening the beer she had set out for him. "This looks good." He said eyeing the plate of spaghetti in front of him, but his voice held no emotion.

Juliet willed herself not to cry or scream at him. Instead, she set her face into an emotionless wall and sat down across from him. "How was your day?" She finally asked.

"Fine." He replied as he twirled noodles around his fork. "You see the doc?"

He never even looked up from his plate and she was tempted to reach across the table and shove his face in it. "Yes. He said I'm fine, but I'll have the cast for a few weeks."

Sawyer just nodded and continued eating. The rest of the meal was spent in silence, but the tension in the air was thick. When Sawyer finished he did the dishes and then announced that he had to be up early to take some recruits on a patrol of the fence before they could be on their own. Then he went to bed and left Juliet alone in the kitchen.

Juliet was beside herself. She didn't know how to handle this new version of Sawyer. She tried to read, but couldn't concentrate. Her thoughts kept going back to him and what she could have done to cause his change in behavior. She missed the Sawyer who just a few days ago had carried her from a car accident and read her favorite book to her. Now he was being so cold and she wondered if this was it for them, if this was how their friendship ended. She finally gave up on her book and headed for bed, but sleep did not come easy.

When she awoke the next morning Sawyer was long gone. He used to leave coffee for her in the kitchen when he left early, but not today. The only sign that he'd been there and left was the dirt on the floor where his boots had been. Juliet looked around the empty house and made a decision. If he wanted to be like this, fine, but she wasn't going to sit alone in an empty house all day only to be ignored when he got home at night. If she were the old Juliet she would already be a mess of tears and sobs wondering what on Earth she could have done to warrant his behavior. She still wondered that, but she refused to cry over him and she refused to break under his cold shoulder tactics. She got dressed and went straight to Mike's office at the motorpool.

Mike was sitting at his desk going over some paperwork when Juliet walked in. He looked up at the sound of her footsteps. He was surprised to see her, but smiled nonetheless. "How are you feeling Juliet?"

She gave him a smile back. "I'm good."

"Good to hear. What brings you over here today? You're not due back until that cast comes off."

Juliet's smile faltered. "I want to come back."

To say Mike was surprised would be an understatement. He got up from his desk and walked around it to speak with her. "What do you mean you want to come back? You're hurt. You've got one good arm. You deserve a break."

"I know, but I'm tired of sitting at home all day. There must be something I can do." Juliet was not about to tell the man about her problems with Sawyer. What she said wasn't a lie, and she hoped he'd buy it as the whole truth. And she really hoped he wouldn't take too much more convincing. She just wanted to go back to work and take her mind off things.

Mike was a little confused, but he understood. As much as he would love to sit at home doing nothing for a few weeks, he knew it would get old after a while. He figured Juliet must be one of those people who can't stand to do nothing for very long. "I'm sure it's getting boring, but –"

The sound of a van sputtering to life only to die seconds later cut Mike off. They heard a wrench fall to the ground followed by a muffled exclamation of "shit." Mike shook his head. "Kent's been workin' on that van for three days now and if anything I think he's made it worse."

Juliet suddenly found her opening. "I know he still needs more training and I know none of those guys want to do it." She gestured towards the open door to the office where the other motorpool workers were working on the other side. "I can help him and make sure he doesn't mess anything up."

Mike eyed Juliet. She wasn't supposed to work again until the cast came off, but Kent desperately needed more direction. He sighed. "Alright, but you're not to touch anything. Just point him in the right direction. If Horace sees you touch a wrench or a vehicle he'll have my ass."

Juliet smiled. She was relieved. She didn't necessarily want to deal with Kent's ineptness all day for the next few weeks, but it was better than sitting at home stewing about Sawyer. "Don't worry. I'll just watch over him. Thanks a lot, Mike." She left the office and took a seat on a stool in Kent's work station. She spent the day walking him through what was wrong with the van and how to fix it. He was doing better than the last time she worked with him, but he still lacked confidence in his abilities and needed some guidance on what to do.

The day went by quickly. Before Juliet knew it, it was time to go home and the van was well on its way to recovery. Kent thanked her for her help and she had a feeling after a few more days he'd be able to get along on his own. She walked home feeling better than she had in a few days. Work was exactly what she needed. Time away from the little yellow house she shared with Sawyer had helped her to take her mind off things. As she neared the house she wondered if Sawyer would be any better tonight, but she wasn't going to bet on it. She was still upset about the state of their friendship, but she didn't know what she could do about it. She'd learned a long time ago that making him talk about things generally only angered him more and in time he would do it on his own.

Sawyer was sitting on the couch when she walked in. He'd been surprised to find her gone when he got home. He'd been tempted to worry, but was still too pissed to feel anything else. He hated the way things were between them now and he knew it was partially his fault. He should have talked to her instead of treating her like she wasn't even there, but he didn't know how to talk to her and he didn't want his suspicions confirmed. He'd been doing a lot of thinking in the last few days and he came to a conclusion that scared him. He loved Juliet Burke. He loved the way her smile could light up a room, the way her laugh sounded in a silent space, and the way she refused to let him be anyone other than himself. Around Juliet he was never Sawyer, always James. But he was so sure she could never love him, so sure she was seeing Kent. It hurt to think about her with anyone else. Late one night he realized he really was jealous, but he'd decided that instead of clearing the air and getting his heart smashed in the process, he'd go back to doing what he did best; acting like he didn't care.

"Where you been?" He asked Juliet.

Juliet studied him. His voice, like the night before, held very little emotion. His face was set into a stony expression. "I was at work." She said simply.

Sawyer rose from the couch. Now he was mad again. She shouldn't be working. She was still hurt and could easily get hurt again if she worked before she was ready to. "What do you mean work?" His expression didn't change, but his voice showed his anger.

Juliet had had enough. He wasn't happy when she spent all day cleaning his house and cooking for him and he wasn't happy when she went and did something else. She had the feeling that no matter what she did he was going to be mad so she decided that if he wanted to sit around and push her buttons she could do the same to him. Her face reverted to the icy glare it had nearly always been when she'd been a part of the others. "Work. You know that thing that people do to make money?" She spat out sarcastically.

"I know what work is. I meant what were you doing there? You're not supposed to go back until that cast comes off." Sawyer growled.

"I got bored." She said nonchalantly. "And Kent needs more training."

"Oh I see how it is."

"And how's that?" Juliet spat back at him.

"You just couldn't stay away. You couldn't get enough." Sawyer nearly yelled.

"Couldn't get enough of what?! The grease stains? The tools? The motor oil smell?" Her voice was rising.

"No, him!" Sawyer did yell this time and threw a hand in the direction of Kent's house.

Juliet had no idea what he was talking about and was too pissed to try to put the pieces together. "Him who?" She yelled back. "I went back because I was not about to sit in this house again all day only to have you treat me like shit when you got home!" Her eyes filled with tears, but she held them back.

"What about Ken? You two have seen an awful lot of each other lately. What, did he finally find his Barbie?"

"It's Kent and I went to lunch with him once because I felt sorry for him!"

"What about the other night when you just took off?" Sawyer's voice went down a notch. He was confused. Could he have been wrong about them?

Juliet took a deep breath to calm down. "I went over to Amy's because you were being an ass." She took a step closer to him. "Is that why you've been so upset? Why do you even care if I see Kent?" Her voice was quiet now.

"Because…because….shit, Juliet." He still couldn't voice his feelings and he still wasn't sure if she could feel the same or if she would slap him for what he was about to do. He closed the space between them, put his hands on both sides of her face and kissed her soundly, pouring every emotion he had into it.

Juliet was stunned at first. She momentarily froze, not believing it was really happening, but then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with just as much emotion. After what felt like hours they pulled apart and he she rested her head on his chest.

"That's why." He said softly.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?"

An amazing grin spread across his face. "Really?" He asked and she gave a small nod. "Me too." He said before he captured her lips with hers again.


End file.
